Antivibration catch



W. S. ROBERTS ANDC. H-. HODGKINS. ANTIVIBRATION CATCH. APPLICATION EILEDJAN.16 1919.

1,430,589, Patented Oct. 3,1921.

WITNESSES: 65 INVENTORS jg W I Wa/rera Robe/Is:

Char/es H. Hady Iii/w.

' BY MM Mg??? Patented 0a. 3, 1922.

UNITED STATES PATENT .OFFI'CE.

WALTER s. noPEntrs, or nnenwoon PARK, AND CHAR-LES H. HODGKINS, 0 PITTS-BURGH, PENNSYLVANIA, ASSIGNORS T0 WESTINGHOUSE ELECTRIC AND MANU- PACTUINC COMPANY, A CORPOR TION or PENNSYLVANIA.

i ANTIVIBRATION CATCH.

Application filed January 16, 1919. Serial No. 271,482.

and useful Improvement in Antivibration Catches, of which the followingis a specificationa Our lnventlon relates to damping means foroscillatory members and has particular relation to centrally biasedswitch members.

The object of our invention is to provide a mechanism for damping theoscillation of oscillatory members, to bring them to a stop with aslittle attendant vibratory move ment as possible.

Our lIlVQIllJlOIl finds particular application in .COIlIlGCtlOIl' Wlllllcontrolling mechanisms, .such as auto starters, the movable switchmembers of which are adapted to be held in closed position untilreleased, whereupon theswitch member, being centrally biased, oscillatesbackward and forward about. the central position. I

According to. our invention, wemount, uponthe centrally biased: switchmember, a projection which is adapted to engage a pivotally mountedcatch member having a pair of. gradually inclined surfaces separated byan abruptsurface. The pro ec- 'tion engages first one of the graduallyinclined surfaces, tilting the catch member about its pivotal point,then the second gradually inclined surface, tilting the catch member inthe opposite direction and after a few impacts with the second surfaceand the abrupt SL1IfflO6,tll8 switch memher is brought to rest. A pin ismounted upon the frame to engage one of two projections of the catchmember to llmll', its movement in the one or the other direction. Ourinvention will be understood when described in connection with theaccompanythe plane ofthe section being taken at right angles to thesection of Fig. l; and Fig. 8 is anelevational view of our catch member.

Referring particularly to Figs. 1 and 2, thecontrolling mechanismcomprises a casing having a stationary part 2 thatis adapted to besecured to any suitable support and v apart 8 for cnclosingthe switchingmechanism. The part 3, which may constitute a tank for ml, in case theapparatus is employed in connection with high-voltage circu1ts, 1sremovably secured to the stationary part 2 by means of latchingmechanisms 4:.

The casing further comprises a removable cover member 5 which is looselyhinged to the member-3 by means of mutually engaging hook portionsand'is secured in position by a latching mechanism 6 that is 10- catedatthe top of the casing.

The switching mechanism comprises two rows of stationary contact members'7 that are mounted upon, and insulated from, supporting bars 8. Acorresponding number of pairs of oppositely disposed movable contactmembers 9 are mounted upon, and insulated from, a rock shaft 10. Therespective contact members .9 arepivotally sup ported by pins 11, andthe membersof each pair/are yieldingly retained in their relativepositions, illustrated in Fig. 2, by means of springs 12.

I The switching mechanism is operated by a handle lever; 17 that islocated outside the casing andis connected to the rock shaft 10. Theoperating lever 17 is normally retained in its inoperative position by acentering device 21 which comprises a stationary pin 22, two oppositelydisposed curved arms 23 that are, pivotally supported by the shaft 10and that bear against the pin 22 when in their oil positions, a spring24 which resists the separation of the arms 23, and a pin 25 that ismounted upon an arm 26. The arm 26 is secured to the shaft 10 andextends upwardly therefrom.

Means are provided, also, for insuring 29 of which is inclined orbeveled toward the pivotal support of such member so as to permit thepin 25 to move out of the notch. The other side of the notch is notinclined or beveled but the material of the member is cut away at theside to decrease the depth of the notch at that side. This arrangementinsures that the lever 17 shall be moved only in one direction from itsinactive position in which the pin 25 is seated in the notch 28. Vhenthe lever is operated to its starting position, the pin 25 is actuatedto the right, as viewed in Fig. 2, to raise the member 27, whereupon thehandle may be actuated in the opposite direction to its run ningposition if it is moved rapidly.

The upper end of the arm 26 is provided with a laterally projecting pin30 which coacts with a latching mechanism 31 to retain the arm 26 andits connected mechanism in their running positions. The latchingmechanism 31 comprises a pivotally mounted arm 32 that is provided witha hook extending at right angles thereto. The book 33 is provided with anotch 34 and an inclined face 35 to coact with the pin 30. Anelectromagnet 36 retains the arm 32 in a vertical position when the pin30 has been actuated into engagement with the notch 34. The switchingmechanism and the lever 17 are retained in their respective runningpositions by the electromagnet 36 except upon reduction of voltage to apredetermined low value, failure of voltage, opening of the circuit ofthe electromagnet coil, or other abnormal conditions.

Upon the frame 2, at 60, we pivotally mount a catch member 61 having twoin clined surfaces 62 and 63 and an intermediate abrupt surface orshoulder 64L The arm 26 is provided with a pin or projection 65 toengage the surfaces 62, 63 and 64. The catch member 61 has also a recess66 having two end shoulders 67 and 68 for engaging a stop member 69which is rigidly secured to the frame 2. i

The operation is as follows: To start the motor, the lever 17 is firstactuated to rock the shaft 10 in a clockwise direction as viewed in Fig.2. The switching mechanism is thereby actuated to the left, as viewed inFig. 2, to effect engagement of the contact members 7 and 9 at the left.The arm 26 and the pin 25 move to the right, and the latch member 27 israised by the pin to its uppermost position. The projection 65 movesunder the surface 63, the catch member 61 remaining in the illustratedposition, with the surface 68 engaging the stop member 69.

WVhen the motor has been accelerated sufficiently, the lever 17 is movedquickly in the opposite direction to its running position to effect aquick separation of the contact members 7 and 9 on the left and toeffect a correspondingly quick engagement of the coacting contactmembers at the right. A rapid movement of the mechanism is madenecessary by reason of the fact that the latch member 27 engages the pin25 and retains the various parts in their respective active positionsunless the pin 25 is moved across the notch 28 before the latch 'member27 is actuated by gravity to engage the pin. During this movement, theprojection 65 tilts the catch member 61 in the opposite direction, untilthe shoulder 67 engages the stop member 69. The catch member returns bygravity to its original, ilhistrated position but not until after theprojection 65 has assumed a position to the left of the surface 62.

As the arm 26 and the pin 30 are moved to the running position, thelatter engages the arm 32 to actuate the latter to its vertical positionin which it is retained by the electro magnet 36. The hook member 33 isin such position that it is not engaged by the pin 30 during themovement above described. As the arm 32 is moved to its verticalposition, the hook member 33 rocks in a counterclockwise direction aboutits point of pivotal support, and the pin 30 is thereby seated in thenotch 34. The arm 26 and the various parts to which it is connected areretained in their respective running positions under all normalconditions. The arm 32 is released, however, upon a failure of voltageor its reduction to a voltage of predetermined low value and theresultant de-energi zation of the magnet 36 or upon the opening of thecircuit of the latter by an overload relay.

Thereupon, the arm 26 will be returned automatically to its intermediateposition and the arm 32 to its inactive position by the centering device21. The tendency of the arm 26 to oscillate a number of times throughits central, illustrated, position is overcome by our catch mechanism61. Upon release of the arm 26, as above described, the projection 65engages and moves over the surface 62, the shoulder 64c and intoengagement with the surface As the projection moves over the surface 62,the catch 61 is tilted in a clockwise direction but when it engages thesurface 63, the catch 61 is tilted in a counter-clockwise directionuntil the shoulder 68 engages the stop member 69. The projection 65 maycontinue to escillate between the surface 63 and the shoulder 64, itsenergy becoming spent by impact with these surfaces and the arm finallyreturning to its central, illustrated, inoperative position. Theundesirable numerous oscillatory movements of the arm 26 are therebygreatly reduced in number.

It will be understood that, although we have found the herein disclosed.catch member to be of the best form and shape for our purpose, ourinvention is not to belimited thereto but is commensurate, in breadth,with the appended claims.

We claim as our invention:

.l. The combination with an oscillatory switch arm having a projection,of a pivotally mountedmember that is freely mov able within certainlimits and that is adapted to be engaged by said projection to damp theoscillations of saidswitch arm.

2. The combination With an oscillatory member, of a member having a pairof gra ually inclined surfaces connected by an abrupt surface, saidmember being freely movable Within certain limits and said surfacesbeing adapted to be engaged by said oscillatory member to damp itsoscillations.

3. The combination with an oscillatory member, of means for. damping theoscillations of said member, said means compris- 111?; a plvotallymounted member having two gradually inclined surfaces extending at dlfferent angles from a common point, a pro ection on said oscillatorymember for en gaging said surfaces and a stationary mem-1 ber forlimiting the movements of said ,piv

otally-mounted member. t

4:. The combination with an oscillatory member, of means for damping theoscillations of said member, said means comprising a pivotally mountedmember that is freely movable Within certain limits and that is providedwith two angularly spaced inclined surfaces and a projection on said mgmeans comprising a member pivotally mounted'upon said frame member andhaving a pair of gradually inclined surfaces connectedby an abruptsurface, said surfaces beingadapted to be engaged by said projection,and a member for limiting the movement of said pivotally mounted member.

In, testimony whereof, We have hereunto subscribed our names this 81stday of Dec, 1918. i I I WVALTER, S. ROBERTS. CHARLES I-I.HODGKINS.

